


A Bot Only A Grandmother Could Love

by GameMaster26



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Animated (2007)
Genre: Found Family, Prowl needs love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29367417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GameMaster26/pseuds/GameMaster26
Summary: Prowl saves an old woman from trouble and she mistakes him for someone close to her. Prowl can't bring himself to shatter her heart and goes with it. But soon he realizes just how much he needed that love.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	A Bot Only A Grandmother Could Love

Prowl drove through the streets of Detroit on a late, rainy night. Another boring patrol. Another boring street. Another night he could’ve spent at the park. Or anywhere but the cold rainy street. He was a very patient mech. But even he grew tired of the same thing every single day. He turned another corner then quickly skid to a stop, thinking he heard something. The black motorbike shifted to his root mode and looked left, then right.

“Help!” Came a shout.

Prowl ran towards the sound, turning into an alleyway. He saw an old woman being roughed up by two masked men. He drew his shuriken and the two turned to him. They yelled out in alarm and fled at the sight of him.

The old woman slowly picked herself up from the ground and looked up at Prowl. The black a gold bike smiled at her. “Are you alright, ma’am?” He asked softly. He then caught sight of her handbag laying on the ground nearby. He picked it up and handed it to her. “Your purse.” He offered.

The old woman took her bag from him and Prowl helped her to her feet. She looked up at him and adjusted her thick glasses. “Alex?” She questioned, tilting her head in a perplexed fashion. She squinted up at him. “Alex, deary! It’s so wonderful to see you again. My, when did you get so tall? Why, I remember when you barely came up to my hip.” She chuckled to herself. “You take so much after your grandfather, you sweet thing. I’m glad to see you’re still in that ‘goth’ phase of yours. It suits you deary.” She rambled.

Prowl was shocked. He opened his intake, then closed it again. He felt like a beached fish. He stood there, entirely flabbergasted. He had no idea who this woman was, or who Alex was. But he didn’t have the spark to shatter her heart. The ninja bot was almost positive that a soul crushing blow like that would put her into cardiac arrest, or something. So he made a choice, in that moment. It wasn’t his smartest move. But he couldn’t bring himself to make any other choice.

“It’s nice to see you too…” Prowl mumbled, smiling gently. But he didn’t think she could see it very well. And that made him worry.

The elderly lady grabbed his servo and started to pull him along. “Come inside. I’ll make you dinner. Your favorite is still meatloaf isn’t it?” She inquired, unlocking the door to the building next to the alley and taking Prowl inside.

Prowl let himself be taken inside but didn’t answer her question right away. He couldn’t eat human food, it would make him sick. But he couldn’t act rude to her. It would break her heart. “Um- Yes. Thank you, Grandma.” Welp, he was in this for the long haul, or at least, that evening. What’s the worst that could come from this? A clogged tank? He could handle it.

“Grandma” smiled a wide and elated smile up at him. “There’s my sweet little Alex. Well, not so little anymore.” She joked. She took him up a flight of stairs and into a small apartment with the number 6 on the door. He ducked under the doorframe and looked around. It was definitely an old woman’s apartment. “It’s been so long since I’ve had visitors. Well, except Becky. But that old shrew only comes by when she wants something.” She lamented, finally letting go of Prowl and slipping into the small kitchen. “Have a seat. I won't be long.” She called over to him.

The ninja sat down on a badly patterned pink couch, taking in the situation he had gotten himself into, his posture slumping on the furniture too small for him. He glanced back at the kitchen, suddenly worried. The mech knew she couldn’t see very well and wondered if she was safe to cook. Or even to live alone. What if she tripped on those stairs. Or cut herself with a knife. Or any other million dangerous things. The black bot didn’t know who this Alex was, but by the Allspark he would protect and care for this woman. He wouldn’t abandon her, not like her family had. His engine rattled in a sudden flare of anger but he quickly squashed it down.

It wasn’t long before the old woman returned to the main room, sitting in a large old recliner. “The meatloaf is in the oven. It shouldn’t be long now. So, what mischief have you been getting into since I last saw you?” she asked with a chuckle.

Prowl smiled nervously, but thought of something to say. “Oh. No mischief from me. I grew out of that. I’m more interested in what you’ve been doing.” He quickly insisted.

The woman grinned from ear to ear, eager and excited to finally have someone to talk to. "Oh, I'm glad you asked! I just got this most lovely book from the library the other day. Now, your Gran can't see so well anymore. But that isn't a problem. They have these wonderful things called audiobooks! Did you know that? They're fantastic. Now I can read and do my knitting, all at the same time!" She said excitedly, pulling out said knitting.

Prowl smiled softly. She looked so excited over something most would consider highly trivial. But it brought joy to his spark to see her own joy. "Yes. I've heard of those. They're very useful little things." He replied.

Grandma smiled at him. "Aren't they just?" She asked. "I have five of them now. Oh, that reminds me! Three of them are due Wednesday… I'll have to ask Bill to give me a ride down there." She sighed. "I wish I still had my license. But I couldn't pass my vision test." She lamented.

The cop bot sat up a little straighter. "I could take them for you. I would be happy to do it." He offered. "Which library did you get them from?" He asked.

The graying lass looked up from her knitting. "It's the one a fair ways down the road from here. It has that big fountain out the front. Thank you very much for doing this. You don't have to do chores for your Gran. I'm just happy to have you here. I may be old, but I'm still very independent." She insisted.

Prowl chuckled warmly. "I want to. I insist." He told her. "I just-" he was cut off by the sound of a timer going off. Gran got up from her chair and made her way to the kitchen.

A few moments later she peaked her head out of the kitchen. "Well don't just sit there. Come get your dinner." She told him with a joking tone to her voice before returning into the kitchen.

Prowl got up from the couch and took a deep vent.

Ratchet was gonna kill him for this.

He walked into the small kitchen, or at least it felt small to him being that he was a fair bit taller than the average human. It was a nice kitchen, if a bit old looking. It reminded him of some old TV shows he had watched when he had little else to do.

The black mech sat down in a white wooden chair that creaked under his weight. He tensed, fearing he would break it. But the woman across from him just chuckled. “Don’t worry about the chair, it gripes and groans even when my cat jumps on it. Oh, you remember Princess don’t you? She’s a bit up in years now but she’s still her sweet little self.”

Prowl smiled to himself. If there was one thing he loved about earth, it was the wide variety of animals. “Yes, I think I do. I hope we still get along.” He said just as the old woman placed a hot plate of food in front of him. It looked… Alright… Then again, he had no standard with which to actually judge human food. But there was still a minor issue.

He knew what meat was, he was no fool. But he understood that humans needed the protein and such it provided. He found the idea of it insane, but, protesting now wouldn’t bring the cow back to life and would only upset the sweet old woman. “Thank you, Grandma.” He managed, starting to lose his nerve. He picked up the fork and it wobbled awkwardly in his inexperienced grip. He sliced off a small hunk of meat and brought it to his intake. Welp, here it goes.

\-----

The taste was... strange, but not repugnant. The texture was very odd and he almost gagged a few times. But he got it all down. Every last bite. His tanks felt heavy, not used to taking in solid food. And he already felt sick. He covered his intake with a servo as his meal threatened to return to sender.

“Th-thank you for dinner. It was nice. But I really need to get going.” The dark mech said, quickly standing.

“Oh where could you be off to this time of night, Alex?” Grandma asked.

Prowl thought quickly. “The station, I’m a police officer.” He explained.

The old woman’s wrinkled face lit up at this revelation. “A police officer! Oh you’re getting more like your Grandfather every minute! He would be so very proud of you!” She chirped.

Prowl smiled. Very few had ever been proud of him, and none so boisterously. “I’m sure he would. But I really must be going. The others will be wondering what’s taking so long.” He said, feeling his tanks churn and clench as he walked out of the room.

“Oh, well be sure to tell your friends I said hello!” She called after him.

“I will. Goodbye Grandma!” He called back, the human term rolling easily off his glossa now and in the back of his processor he wondered if he was getting a bit too attached. He pushed these thoughts aside and left the apartment.

\-----

Once the ninja bot was outside back in the rain he pressed a servo to his intake to fight back another wave of nausea. He felt absolutely miserable. His tanks churned as he transformed, nearly making him topple over. His balance was shot from all the terrible pain through his form. Never before had he wished so badly to have four wheels instead of two. At least then he wouldn't have to fight to keep upright.

He started down the road back to base and instantly realized driving was much worse than transforming. The mech couldn't help the soft yet audible groan that escaped him.

This was shaping up to be one very long drive.

\-----

The two-wheeler pulled up to the base at about half the speed limit and transformed again, this time stumbling a few steps to his left and grabbing a light post for balance. His grip dented the steel pole as more pain stabbed through him. The light flickered and went out, leaving him in the dark.

He took a moment to gather himself and steady his vents but he simply doubled over and purged his tanks right there on the ground. It was a disgusting feeling and sight. He crumbled to his knees beside the mess, his small claws scratching down the light post with a soft squeal.

He felt a lot better after purging that up. But he felt exhausted from doing so. And the light was probably beyond saving at this point.

With one final deep vent he pulled himself to his peds and kicked some wet dirt over his mess. No one needed to see that. Certainly not Ratchet. The old bot would have his helm if he knew what happened.

He just had to play it cool until he got to his room. Lucky, Prowl was the resident expert in playing it cool. He just hoped his nausea wouldn’t return. He walked in through the garage door, still dripping wet and made a beeline for the second door to the hall. His room was so close. He hadn’t been caught.

“Now just where have you been?”

Oh great. The one mech he didn’t want to see at the moment. Prowl turned with his best passive expression. But he knew he must look like utter slag because Ratchet’s stern features softened some.

Prowl looked away slightly. “Sorry… Patrol ran long. There was traffic. No Decepticons… Just a lot of miserable rain…” He mumbled. His voice sounded strange with some static thrown in. So, he did look and sound as miserable as he felt.

Ratchet shook his helm slightly. “Alright. Into the medbay with you. I don’t know what was in that rain but you look sick as I’ve ever seen ya. C’mon. Chop chop! I wanna get some recharge.” He was his usual harsh self but there was a worried undertone to his voice.

Prowl frowned a bit. He really didn't want to do this. If there was still human food in his tank Ratchet would find the contamination on even the most basic of medical scans and begin to ask questions. Questions Prowl didn't think he had the right lies to answer with.

He must've been mulling it over a bit too long because the next thing he knew the medic had a firm but gentle grip on his arm and had begun to pull him towards the medbay. "C'mon Prowl. Let's see what's wrong with ya." He grumpily urged.

The ninja bot dug in his heels a bit. "Ratchet I'm fine. Just tired. I'd rather just go recharge. I'll be fine in the morning. And if I'm not, I'll come straight to you, I promise." He really hoped this would get the medic off his case.

Ratchet just sighed. "Prowl, listen. I know you. You don't get this exhausted after just a patrol. Either you got into one pit of a fight and are lying to me, or you let yourself get too cold in this rain and got sick and are too embarrassed to admit you made a mistake." He paused. "Primus, yer shiverin' like it's absolute zero in here." He said, now looking even more worried.

Prowl looked away. He could handle Ratchet's anger and scolding. But his worry? It just made him feel awkward. Besides, he didn't feel all that cold. "I feel just fine, Ratchet." He insisted again.

Ratchet was clearly starting to get irritated. "Prowl, quit acting like Bumblebee for a half a second and let me help you before you start to rust!" He pulled with a bit more force now.

The exhausted mech sighed and just gave in. "Fine. Fine. I'm going." He let Ratchet take him into the medbay. He sat on the medical slab and folded his arms with a deep frown on his face. He wasn't pouting. He was… brooding.

Ratchet tossed a cybertronian sized towel at him. "Here, dry off. You're soaked." He told the other as he started to look through his medical equipment.

Prowl did as he was told, maybe if he cooperated Ratchet would let him off the hook. Is this what Bumblebee felt like all the time? He really didn't like it.

The dark mech pressed his face into the towel for a moment. It was pleasantly soft, and most importantly, warm. Then he noticed the shivering Ratchet had been talking about. He really was shaking like a leaf. How hadn't he realized?

The cop bot wrapped the towel around his shoulders and pulled it tight around his frame. He felt leagues better alright. But what he really wanted was a long recharge.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a medical scan running down his frame. He stiffened at the contact.

Well, slag… Here we go.

Prowl watched as Ratchet's optics widened slightly, the two made optic contact before Ratchet looked back at the scanner.

"Prowl…?" The white mech began.

The bot in question didn't look away, but he was frowning deeply now. "Yes?"

"Did you purge, recently?"

"No."

Then the medic growled. "Prowl! Stop acting like a petulant protoform and let me do my job!" He shouted.

Prowl turned his body away. "I want to recharge. It's late. I feel fine." He insisted, coldly.

Ratchet crossed his arms. "Fine! If you wanna be difficult and get yourself offlined through your own stupidity, be my guest!" He snapped.

The dark mech didn't say another word as he left the medbay, going to his berthroom as quickly as he dared. The nausea had started to creep back up his intake.

Ratchet looked back at the scanner with a deep frown. According to the readings he got. Prowl had an organic contamination throughout his systems, mainly in his tanks. The medic wasn't sure how such a thing had happened but it was very worrisome. But if the ninja bot wanted to be a protoform about it, he would let him. The tank aches would send him back within a week. Ratchet didn't enjoy saying "I told you so" per say. But he liked when others got his point, especially if the bot in question was being foolish and stubborn.

\-----

Prowl walked into his room and practically collapsed into the berth. He curled up and held his middle, groaning softly as he lay there. He really regretted eating that human food. But strangely, he didn’t regret meeting the woman herself. She seemed so nice and genuine. He didn’t know why he felt so strongly, but he couldn’t help it. A soft smile spread across his face as he thought of how happy the woman had been just to have someone to talk to.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain began to fade and the dark mech’s frame relaxed. After a moment of getting comfortable again he slipped off into a peaceful recharge.


End file.
